That’s an intentionally provocative headline, but it’s true. Today I’m sharing a 2-part podcast that I recorded with the founder and CEO of MarketLive, Ken Burke. We helped Ken increase the valuation of his e-commerce technology company by 350% and get acquired by a private equity buyer for $103 million. We talk about how the first acquisition deal failed, how we re-positioned the company to make it a category leader, and how we optimized for a strategic buyer willing to pay top dollar:

PART 1: Companies are Bought, Not Sold (Sept. 29)
PART 2 Companies are Bought, Not Sold: (Oct. 10)

TL;DR

If you don’t have time to listen to the entire podcasts, here are some shortcuts to a few key points:

Part 1:
03:05 – Initial challenge: CEO transition
06:50 – 3 stages of CEO on the way to M&A exit
09:55 – The first (failed) acquisition offer
13:45 – The turn-around begins; valuation levers & drivers
16:12 – On how to be a ‘Thought Leader’
17:30 – The killer data-play: The Performance Index Report
19:05 – 3 key management tips
23:00 – Owning your sector to attract strategic buyers

Part 2: 
02:45 – Defining your strategic focus
04:15 – The strategic pivot
05:45 – The search for an M&A banker
08:00 – How to survive due diligence
11:02 – Understanding strategic buyers and roll-ups
12:40 – How the CEO can preserve their equity
18:35 – How to be ready for an M&A conversation

If you know a company that is considering M&A in a 1-2 year time frame, now is a perfect time to contact us: m.addison@xrocket.io

XROCKET.io is a new breed of sell-side advisory that helps entrepreneurs position and optimize for M&A and SPAC acquisition. If you know a company that is considering an exit in the 1-2 year future, reach out to me directly at m.addison@xrocket.io.